Investigations of openwork block deposits have the potential to improve understanding of the production of substrates for biological colonisation, the control of geological structure and the impacts of climate change on landforms. As part of research into the morphology and characterisation of a blockfield located on the Northern Buttress of the Vesleskarvet Nunataks, Western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica (2°W, 71°S), this paper investigates the influence that aspect has on weathering for a blockfield using data collected during the 2009–2012 Austral summer seasons. Proxy data recorded for weathering included rock hardness rebound values as well as visual evidence of flaking, pitting, surface roughness and lichen presence. Aspect was found to affect weathering of blockfield samples across the study site, with the south‐facing sides being the least weathered of the directional aspects. This paper argues that a higher radiation budget associated with slope aspect and angle could drive thermal regimes and subsequent weathering of clast faces. Furthermore, in the absence of abundant precipitation, ice and snow cover become the primary source of moisture in this high‐latitude Antarctic environment.

To protect water resources, the WHO recommends assessing land use influence on water quality, taking into consideration residential development and waste disposal amongst others. Thus, we investigated the impact of unconstructed plots, an informal settlement, an urban residential area, and an industrial area on the microbiological and physicochemical quality of two main tributaries within the Klein Jukskei catchment, Johannesburg, South Africa, to identify areas where immediate resource management strategies were needed. Water samples collected from the tributaries' sources and upstream and downstream from each land use type (Winter and Spring) were analysed for E. coli (indicator organism), using the Colilert ® 18 system. Physicochemical parameters (Temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, turbidity and total dissolved solids) were measured using multiparameter instruments. The tributaries' sources had the lowest E. coli counts (Sandspruit-0.74; North Ridingspruit-1.18 log10 MPN/100 mL) during the study. After flowing through the various land uses, mean E. coli counts reached 5.98 (Sandspruit) and 4.85 log10 MPN/100 mL (North Ridingspruit). E. coli values and all physicochemical parameters (but for pH) downstream from most of the land uses did not meet the South African drinking water quality guidelines. The informal settlement had the most negative impact on the microbial and physicochemical quality of the water within the tributaries. Thus, providing informal settlements with appropriate sanitation facilities is likely to prevent pollution of the water bodies. Protection of the sources should also be implemented 2 while industrial wastes need to be monitored for conformity with water quality guidelines before discharge.

This paper presents the first high resolution temperature data from a small Agrostis magellanica mire on subantarctic Marion Island as part of an ongoing island-wide monitoring project on subsurface ground temperature variability. Variations in ground temperatures were found to be directly linked to the passage of synoptic scale weather systems that influence thermal characteristics and heat fluxes especially in the upper 30 cm of the mire. Preliminary data published here suggest that shallow temperatures will be most affected by changes in synoptic climate that Marion Island is currently experiencing with an increase in average temperatures and a reduction in temperature variability with depth. This study proposes that to effectively detect the ecosystem responses to climate change in a maritime sub-Antarctic environment the temporal scale of measurement needs to be at least on a diurnal scale to be effective.

Landform allometry has been a topic of inquiry since at least the 1970s. In this study, the presence of allometry is investigated for a barchan dunefield in northern Namibia. Using a combination of traditional morphometric parameters and techniques borrowed from geometric morphometrics it is shown that barchan allometry is present. This allometry is a combination of positive and negative allometry. Barchans show a definite change in mean shape as the size of the dune increases becoming more asymmetric. Differences in horn length, along with dune width, show positive allometry indicating that it changes faster than the shape changes. Barchan bilateral asymmetry and stoss length show negative allometry indicating that changes in these variables lag behind changes in size. Together, these results hint at the possible presence of threshold size differences beyond which distinct shape changes can be observed.